Bringing people health and planetary health together in Singapore

How can we look after our own health as well as the health of the planet? This is a question that people are pondering the world over, not just in relation to workplaces. But at WORKTECH Singapore, on 17 October 2023 at Cisco Systems, the question was how to build offices that meet the needs of employees while protecting the planet.

Here’s a sample of the speakers:

Retrofitting and reshaping with technology

In this keynote session, Chris Anderson, sustainable real estate lead for Cisco, explored how employee experience can be enhanced through technology, regardless of whether you’re in a new build or revamping an older space. Retrofitting can reduce the carbon footprint of a project without compromising on hybrid experience or connectivity, offering a sustainable route to the creation of a workplace that is good for the environment and can retain top talent.

Health and work in focus

Can we create workspaces that actively enhance the health and wellbeing of employees? That’s the question that global design firm Adrianse wanted to ask in its discussion around the future of work. Delivered by Adrianse Design Director Chinmayee Ananth, this talk took an holistic, interconnected  approach to thinking about the links between how and where we work and employee health. Offering practical insight, advice and highlighting underappreciated areas where work and health intersect, this session offered a new look at the ways in which we think about office spaces.

Following on from this presentation, an expert panel offered new takes on health and work from an array of industry professionals. It was chaired by Chinmayee Ananth from Adrianse and featuring Steven Louie, a designer, lecturer and mentor, Merryn Hulse, Head of Quality at Recovre, and Yogesh Tadwalker. Discussing the policies and practices that underly the ways we work, the importance of sustainability, the spaces that we need to conduct work well and a new way of designing office spaces, this session took on all the big issues relating to work and health.

Space for belonging

In recent years, curating a sense of belonging and culture has become more critical for companies who want to retain talent and for employees who want to feel like they belong in the place that they work. As we undergo changes within the workplace, adopting new policies and practices, and redesigning our office spaces, we have an opportunity to think about how a sense of belonging feeds into these concepts and how important it is for our wellbeing. Primo Orpilla, co-founder of O + A Studios, has been designing spaces for belonging for 32 years and here provided insights into what it takes to create a space that offers this feeling, sharing case studies, personal advice and reflecting on the importance of storytelling through design, inclusivity and flexibility.

Find out more about WORKTECH Singapore 2023 here.

And check our the WORKTECH events calendar for more events near you in 2024.